Magnetostriction-driven cantilevers for dynamic atomic force microscopy

An actuation mode is presented to drive the mechanical oscillation of cantilevers for dynamic atomic force microscopy. The method is based on direct mechanical excitation of the cantilevers coated with amorphous Fe–B–N thin films, by means of the film magnetostriction, i.e., the dimensional change in the film when magnetized. These amorphous magnetostrictive Fe–B–N thin films exhibit soft magnetic properties, excellent corrosion resistance in liquid environments, nearly zero accumulated stress when properly deposited, and good chemical stability. We present low noise and high resolution topographic images acquired in liquid environment to demonstrate the method capability. © 2009 American Institute of Physics. doi:10.1063/1.3237180